


Passion

by Causa



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-16
Updated: 2015-06-16
Packaged: 2018-04-04 18:13:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4147845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Causa/pseuds/Causa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"She put Rose Quartz over everything: over logic, over consequence, over her own life."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Passion

Pearl’s passion was becoming a problem.

It wasn’t as though Rose hadn’t noticed. Her great insecurity with a sword had given way to a comfort that bordered on compulsion; Rose never saw Pearl so happy as when she was at her side, handle firmly gripped, eyes narrowed at whatever threat, in training or otherwise, was before them. Compared to the hesitance most of Rose’s soldiers clung to, the zealousness with which Pearl threw herself at their enemies reaffirmed her in her moments of doubt. But it had gone too far yesterday.

Rose was the first thing Pearl saw upon awakening from her day-long slumber. _Gems don’t need sleep_ , she would say lightly when she found Rose dozing in the sun after a long stretch of preparations. _We like a lot of things we don’t need,_ Rose would say back.

_Like the humans_ , Pearl had said once, and that was the end of that conversation.

 

_Pearl needed it today_ , Rose thought with a chuckle. The smaller gem’s eyes, blurred with exhaustion, lit up when she saw who was in front of her.

 

“Rose!”

 

“Hello, Pearl. How are you feeling?”

 

“I-I feel great,” she said, stumbling into Rose’s arms.

 

“Pearl,” said Rose, looking down at her. Pearl’s eyes were large and attentive, her body looking smaller than Rose had ever before noticed; it was shaking slightly.

 

“Pearl,” Rose said again, “I don’t want to make it sound like you’ve done anything wrong—“she could feel the gem’s body tensing—“but I can’t—you can’t be—it’s not good for you to keep retreating and regenerating like this.”

 

“Oh, I don’t care about that,” Pearl said with a laugh.

 

“You should,” said Rose, “You’re important to the army. I need you to keep fighting with us—with me.”

 

“Of course I will,” said Pearl.

 

“You can’t do that if you’re hurt,” said Rose.  

 

Rose saw a deepening blush on Pearl’s cheeks. “Oh, this is because I…I’m not hurt. I won’t need to rest again.”

 

Rose sighed and shook her head. “No, Pearl.” She took her hands. “I _want_ you to rest. I _want_ you to be more careful.”

 

“I—I’m careful,” Pearl said, her blush deepening, her voice rising.

 

“No you aren’t, Pearl,” said Rose, raising her voice. “You keep getting yourself killed."  

 

“Because I want to protect you,” Pearl said, insistent.

 

Rose’s voice softened. “I know you do, but you’re not built to regenerate over and over and over again.”

 

Pearl looked down and pursed her lips. “Neither are Ruby and Sapphire.”

 

“They’re not jumping in front of anyone who gets near me. You’ve got to stop doing this, Pearl.”

 

“Why?” she said, backing away from Rose’s chest and looking at her with narrow eyes. “It’s working. You haven’t been injured once.”

 

Rose sighed. “This isn’t sustainable.”

 

“I don’t care about that,” said Pearl, “and you don’t know that—for certain.”

 

It was the most defiant thing Pearl had ever said to her.

 

“It’s my decision to make,” she concluded.

 

“Pearl,” Rose sighed, and left. She had too much to do today, too many gems to heal.


End file.
